Case report: Lung Spirorchidiasis in a Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Spirorchiid trematodes are implicated as an important cause of stranding and mortality in sea turtles worldwide (Stacy et al. 2010). However, the real impact of these parasites on sea turtle health is poorly understood. The complete life cycle of marine spirorchids still remains unknown; however snails or polichaete annelids may serve as intermediate hosts shedding cercariae that penetrate the mucous membranes of sea turtles, which are their final host (Dailey 1992). The adult trematodes inhabit the cardiovascular system, primarily the heart, as well as visceral and mesenteric vessels, where they copulate and oviposit, causing severe vasculitis, parasitic granulomas and thrombosis (Aguirre et al. 1998). Eggs may migrate and lodge in different tissues, where they induce a granulomatous response (Work et al. 2005). The disease is spread when infected turtles shed the parasite eggs in their feces or urine, through the cloaca (Dailey & Morris 1995).